Council member Thom Gulyas said recently that the Town of Berlin has $50,000 in grant money to give to Main Street businesses.

But nobody seems to want the money, he said.

"I want to give people the money," said Ivy Wells, Berlin's economic and community development director. "I want to give the businesses and the property owners the money. I have money I'd like to give to them."

Wells applied to the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development in 2015 for facade improvement grants under the Community Legacy Program. The funds would be used as an incentive to business and property owners to make exterior improvements such as painting, trim, siding, windows, doors and disability access among other things. Cost estimates and plans must be approved by the Berlin Historic District Commission, and the Maryland Historical Trust must approve the grant application. Afterwards, the grant reimburses 50 percent of the cost of the improvements, up to a maximum reimbursement of $10,000.

A problem was discovered when Wells was applying for 2015 funds. Her predecessor didn't use all the grant money from 2013, and hadn't used any of the funds received for 2014.

A municipality must use the funds within two calendar years, or they will lose the unused money and be ineligible for further grants for several years.

Wells managed to use the 2013 funds and is now trying to dispense the 2014 funds, which must be done by the end of this year. With some success, she has reached out to downtown business owners with monthly informational meetings and hands-on assistance in applying for the funds.

However, convincing business owners won't solve the whole problem.

"In some cases, the business owners want it, but it's a matter of getting the property owners to invest in their buildings," Wells said.

Wells has scheduled a walking tour of Main Street businesses for Oct. 20 during Community Development Week to showcase improvements paid for by the grants.

She particularly would like to see applications from owners of multiple properties, which could help disperse the funds faster. She said some owners had expressed interest recently, but haven't yet applied.

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Jeffery Auxer Designs located in Berlin, applied for grant money to build a second story to the existing business. Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2016.(Photo: Staff Photo by Megan Raymond)

Wells hopes the Oct. 20 tour will change their minds.

"If you look at some of the buildings (whose owners) have taken us up on it, clearly there's a difference," she said. "We do use this funding for some really amazing projects downtown. It does help."

The building that houses Art in the Fields was one of her first completed projects, Wells said.

"When I first started here, one of the things that I was told was, 'Please do something about that building,'" she said. "So, the doctor's office (that was in there) closed and we got an art gallery in there and they applied. They added awnings and painted, added landscaping and did a variety of things that the (grant) helped pay for."

He is considering applying again to turn another building into a commissary.

Jeffrey Auxer used grant money to modify his 1,000 square foot, single story workspace with a second story that includes the apartment where he now lives. Grant money helped pay for siding, windows and the roof. He has already applied for funds to get a larger sign.

Helen Wylie of The Church Mouse Thrift Shop used a grant for screen doors. The building, like many on Main Street, is historic. The doors had to be custom made and had to match the design of other parts of the building for grant approval, Wylie said. The doors cost about $800.